Sealants are materials used to form airtight or watertight seals between two parts. For example, sealants may be used in the aircraft industry on fuel tanks, fuselage, and wings, among other aero parts.
Manufacturers often use pre-mixed frozen cartridges of sealants from a supplier. Sealant cartridges from the supplier often include voids (air or gas bubbles) as air may enter the sealant cartridges when they are frozen and thawed. In addition, when being used in a pneumatic sealing tool, air may be forced past the cartridge plunger into the sealant. When a bubble is in the sealant, it is expressed rapidly causing a seal flaw. A sealer must either stop and rework the seal bead or later rework a flaw identified by an inspector. Furthermore, these gas bubbles may take up enough volume that the sealant cartridge seems lightweight to the sealer, causing the sealer to discard the cartridge before use. For robotic sealing, these bubbles incur even more inspection and rework. For example, when aircraft wing panels are baked, small bubbles expand and can form flaws not apparent to the sealer during application.
Current methods and apparatuses are not capable of inline removal of gas bubbles from viscous fluids such as sealants. Thus, there is a need for safe and efficient methods and apparatuses for the removal of gas bubbles from such fluids.